21 Days to Live
by Dunkaroos 23
Summary: Akane  OC  is a girl who doesn't really care about her life. However, when she gets sick and is given only a few more weeks to live, she realizes just how important it is to live life fully.
1. Intro

**Introduction**

Higher… higher! Swinging my skinny legs out, I tried my best to get the swing to reach further, to allow me to extend my arm and touch the light blue sky and the fluffy white clouds. I loved the swings. It was the only place in school where kids didn't bully me, where all problems were left behind for a while and where I could close my eyes and feel like I was flying.

I dreamed that I was a bird; free to go wherever I wanted to, to travel to different places in the world and see all the different cultures on this tiny planet. A loud ring from the school bell suddenly interrupted my wonderful fantasy. I sighed and leaped off the swings in one swift movement, walking slowly back to class as others rushed ahead of me.

My name is Akane. It means "Brilliant Red." My parents named me that because they had hoped that I would live a long life happily and brilliantly. It's true. I asked them. I was born early, _way_ too early. Because of that, I was a rather fragile child. I got sick constantly and I also developed seasonal allergies. I stayed home a lot due to sicknesses and which resulted in me not having many friends. In fact, I don't have any at all in school.

Considered a loner by others, I usually stayed by myself during recess. Over time I started going on the swings and now it is the only place that I go to during break time. Where else could I go, anyways?

"Akane, we're going to the doctor," my mom informed me as I climbed into the car after school. I stayed silent. These past few days I hadn't felt so good and I had been foolish enough to tell my mom about my discomfort.

I had never liked going to the doctor. The man would poke me in the finger with a sharp needle and then squeeze the same finger to get some blood so that they could test some things. I personally felt that they just liked to see us in pain, since it hurt a lot too. Sometimes I just felt like punching or even kicking him.

My mom, getting no reply from me, sighed and then started driving faster. When we reached the clinic, I entered without saying a word. The pretty receptionist waved us into the small office and I just sat there for a while, looking at the various posters of muscles, bones and the heart.

I sat up as the doctor entered. I heard him way before he had even opened the door, actually. I knew it was him because his footsteps were heavier than the receptionist's.

"Let's start the check- up, shall we?" he said, smiling at me, looking a bit too friendly. I bit my lip and nodded, mute.

The check- up went the usual way, until the last part, anyways. The doctor straightened up and asked me, "Akane, have you felt weird these past few weeks?"

"… No."

"Akane! You told me yourself that you felt weak sometimes! Tell the doctor all about it!" my mom glared at me. Whoa, what was with that look? It was like… an angry tiger and lion fused together. I was determined to not let the doctor know about my weaknesses so I decided to just stay silent. The room was awkwardly quiet for a few minutes until my mom broke the silence.

"Well, you see, I noticed that Akane has started feeling extremely tired each day and she seems to have lost a lot of weight," mom reported to the doctor. While the doctor thought, I tried her best to catch mom's attention and give her the best accusing glare that I could manage, but I don't think she saw it.

"I'm not completely sure, but those signs aren't really reassuring. She may have to go in for a blood test…" the doctor trailed off. I sighed. _More_ needles and blood. Great. Just great.

After the check- up, I thought that I was going to be okay, but that was not the case. I think it was last Tuesday or something. As I was flipping my textbook page, I got a tiny paper cut. I put my thumb over it and applied pressure, thinking that it would go away in a while. However, I started to get more anxious as scarlet blood started pooling and dripping onto the desk. As time passed, I started to feel dizzy and black spots swarmed in front of me. The teacher's voice disappeared and everything turned black. I heard people call my name but then darkness washed over me completely, cutting out all of my senses.

When I woke up, I was in a hospital room… I think. Nobody was around and for a moment I felt kind of lonely. Looking around, I saw a lot of stuff around me; my backpack, my beloved badminton racket, my books… where was my mom anyways? Suddenly, a nurse came into my room.

"Um… where am I?" I asked.

"Hospital." She replied without even looking at me. Then she left and just when I thought I was alone again, she came back with a needle.

"Whoa… whoa! What's that for?" I asked, shrinking back. The nurse grabbed my arm and put the needle in it while saying, "It's to let you calm down."

I struggled for a while, but eventually, the anesthesia started working and then I fell asleep. The last thing I was aware of was the nurse wheeling me away.


	2. Day 1

**Day 1**

Chronic Myeloid Leukemia. That was what I had. And I didn't have much time left on this miserable world since my disease was so severe. The doctors had given me two options: (1) Start treatment immediately with cytotoxic anticancer drugs and antibiotics until the sickness went away, (2) They let me out of the hospital with painkillers and let me just do whatever until I die. Of course, there was a catch to the better sounding one (Number two.) I only had around three weeks to live if I chose that option.

For the last few days that I had been at the hospital, nobody had visited me, not even my parents. I didn't even know why I chose the second option. It's not like I had anyone to see. In a few minutes I would be able to get away from this hospital, though. My thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a door opening. I was surprised. Not many nurses came by and one had just come around half an hour ago to check on me.

"Hi," I muttered, eyes not meeting the nurse's.

"Akane, these are your pills for the day," the nurse said. "We had hoped that someone would be able to accompany you for the day in case of emergencies but we haven't been able to contact anyone."

"Doesn't matter," I muttered, grimacing as I gulped the pills down. I turned to walk out the door, saying over my shoulder, "Thanks, nurse."

"Wait. Wait… Akane. Are you sure about your decision? You still have a life to live, you know," the nurse called out just as I was about to exit the dreary room.

"I don't have a life, nurse. My parents are on the verge of a divorce. They don't agree on anything, except maybe the fact that I am such a burden of a child. I remember that they argued over whom I would go with because they both don't want me. Who wants a daughter that needs to be driven to the hospital more times than to a school?" I answered and walked away before the nurse could reply.

Once outside, I wondered where I would go while leaning back on a park bench. It felt good to be breathing in crisp, fresh air instead of the musty, sterilized- smelling oxygen in the hospital.

For the rest of the day I wandered around randomly. I looked at random stores and even bought some candy at the store. I paused for a moment as I watched a group of friends have fun at the photo booths. How I wished I could be in one of those groups.

"Last place before I go back to the hospital," I promised myself, heading towards a high school. Risky, but worth a try. I walked in through the main entrance, reading aloud "_Rikkai Diagaku Fuzoku."_ There was almost no one in the school. I was puzzled for a moment, until I remembered that today was a holiday and school was probably canceled.

I stopped when I got to the tennis courts in the school. My dad used to play tennis with me thinking that sports would toughen me up. Of course, that was before he left me. Now I didn't know where he was, or if he was even alive. He never contacted me after he "went for a vacation."

I just stood there for a few moments, eyes scanning the white lines of the court. It didn't hurt as much anymore. My dad had been away for so long I didn't even care much anymore. Suddenly, without any warning, my knees just collapsed underneath me and I fell.

"Oh, geez," I muttered out loud, annoyed. Nobody was around here to help me and I couldn't reach my medicine. Maybe I would die here. 20 days early. I managed a little smirk to myself before my eyes shut and I lost consciousness.


	3. Day 2

**Day 2**

"Hey, are you okay?" I opened my eyes slowly to see a concerned face peering back at me.

"Huh…?" I mumbled, confused, trying to sit up.

"I found you unconscious on the ground near the tennis court where I my school team practices. I tried shaking you to wake you up but you were so deeply unconscious that I just decided to take you home," the guy explained.

"Oh… thanks… I'm Akane," I smiled hesitantly and held out my hand, grateful that this stranger had taken me to his house. I could've died! Well… maybe not, but…

"I'm Yukimura Seiichi," he took my hand and shook it gently, but his grip was firm. "Do you want something to eat or drink?" I followed him downstairs, into the kitchen. He handed me a glass of water and told me to sit down if I wanted. I looked around and thought about my apartment. Everything was clean here and there was no clutter at all.

"Umm… thanks for helping me out," I thanked him. For a second I wanted to ask him if he wanted to hang out with me, but I shook away that thought and hesitantly said, "I guess I'll be going now…" I stood up, washed the cup and searched for the door.

As I was opening the door he called out, "Wait!" I looked back, startled. "Will you be okay, going outside by yourself?" he asked.

"Um… I don't know…" I didn't know what to say. I didn't know where my medicine was and there was a possibility that I might faint again but I might also be able to get to the hospital before fainting, right?

A gentle tap on my shoulder jerked me out of my thoughts. "I'll walk you," he told me while opening the door. "C'mon."

"What do you want to be when you grow up?" Yukimura- san asked conversationally while we were walking.

"I'm not going to grow up," I muttered before I could even think of a fake answer. He gave me a startled look and then asked, quietly, "Why's that?"

"Because… I only have a few more weeks left. The doctor told me. I have leukemia…" I finally choked out after a moment's hesitation.

He was silent for a while. "Really? That must… suck," he managed, finally. For some time we just walked, side by side, without saying anything.

"How many days? Do you know?" he asked. I told him what the doctor had told me. He looked like he was thinking for a while and then, before I could guess what he was thinking, he stopped walking and said, "Then is it okay if I take you around Japan for those days? So that you have good memories of life when you cross to Heaven?"

Those words caught me off guard. Nobody had ever volunteered to hang out with me, probably because I wasn't cool enough. Now this guy who seemed like he would have tons of friends had come along and then decided to show me around. I just stood there for a while, before I remembered that he was waiting for an answer.

"Sure! Actually… I've never really had any true friends before, so you're actually my first friend… and last," I added, my mood going down a bit. He noticed this and said, "That's okay, I'll make sure you have a good time still. Now promise me that you will meet me tomorrow morning at my house. You remember where, right?" I nodded and smiled, excited.

"Pinkie swear," I promised. We hooked our pinky fingers together and pressed our thumbs to each other's, both of us grinning happily.


	4. Day 3

**Day 3**

I woke up and looked at the clock. 8: 10 AM. Yukimura had told me to be at his house at 9: 00. I leapt out of my bed to get ready, but slowed down to let the black lights and spinning sensation in my head fade away. After I got dressed and brushed my teeth, I walked out into the corridor. I headed towards the nurse's desk and collected my medicine. I glanced at my watch. It was 8: 35. I walked away from the desk and towards the lobby.

Stopping to drop some fish food flakes in the tank, I watched as the guppies and angelfish swam to the surface to nibble at the orange and green crumbs. For a moment I wondered what it was like to be a fish; trapped in a glass tank the whole day, swimming around mindlessly with nowhere to go and no freedom. It must suck more than knowing that you only had a few days left on this world.

"Akane! Wow, you're up earlier than before! How are you feeling?" I turned around to see one of those nurses that had helped me when I first got to the hospital.

"Good," I answered, smiling at her.

"Okay, keep on getting better!" With a friendly smile and a wave, she left. I checked my watch. 8: 45. With one last glance at the fish tank, I stood up and walked out the door.

I rang the doorbell and waited anxiously, not quite sure if I had gotten the right place. I started to worry, but just then the door swung open and I looked up to see Yukimura. He smiled, inviting me in.

"Wow you're early. Sorry, but can you wait for a few minutes? I need to get some things... You can do whatever you want." Then, he disappeared upstairs.

I wandered over to the place that looked like a living room and noticed a shelf full of medals and trophies. As I approached the shelf, I realized that most of the awards were for tennis tournaments. "Gold… gold… first place… Whoa, he's good." A sound behind me shook me from my thoughts and I turned around to see Yukimura standing behind me.

"Ready to go?" he asked. I turned away from the shelf and nodded, "Yeah."

"So… where should we go?" he asked me, looking around.

"Anyplace is okay with me. You can chose."

He grinned, and then said, "Follow me."

"A castle?" I asked while we were heading towards the place. I was kind of surprised by his choice.

"No, we're going to the garden. Here, it says in this book," he handed it to me. "Kairakuen Garden… famous for its cherry blossoms…" I read silently to myself. I flipped to a random page and started to read it too. I just didn't know what to say to Yukimura so I just kept myself busy reading.

"We get off here," he suddenly told me, tapping my shoulder. I followed him off at Mito Station and walked beside him, silence stretching awkwardly between us.

It was broken when I saw the garden. Pink, white, red, and even purple cherry blossom trees stood before me, their beautiful petals dappling gracefully to the ground.

"Whoa! It's so… so beautiful!" I exclaimed, eyes wide in amazement. I had never seen anything like this before.

"Yeah… I like to come here when I have the time to think things through and to just get some quiet time. Not a lot of people come here now," Yukimura's answer sounded a bit sad. However, when I looked up at him, he was grinning too and it seemed like he was in a second home.

We picked a nice dry spot and laid out our blanket on the ground. For a while we just sat there, watching the different coloured flower petals falling to the ground like a second winter. "It's so pretty…" I muttered to myself again. Yukimura was busy taking pictures.

"Um, I'll go get something to drink, k?" I got up and walked away, anxious to get away from the quietness.

As I walked, I heard voices and lots of laughter. I saw a group of kids crowding around something. As I got closer, I saw what was the centre of their attention. One kid- the leader, probably, was crouched over a wounded dog, whacking it and poking it cruelly, laughing with pleasure. I rushed in and pushed the kid away, scooping up the petrified dog.

"What's your problem?" I asked as I glared at the kid as fiercely as I could. I could feel the dog shaking in my arms and when I saw that the dog's blood soaking into my shirt, I decided to drop the argument and hurry the dog to the vet.

I ran back to Yukimura, reassuring the dog with occasional pats. When he saw the poor animal, he ripped off a strip of the picnic cloth and wound it around the dog's wounded leg, securing it tightly. He then made a padding out of the cloth and placed the dog gently on it, handing it back to me. "Let's go," he started walking as soon as he was sure I had the dog held securely.

"Is he gonna be okay?" I asked anxiously as the vet looked over the petrified animal.

"Yes, physically, but he might be a bit shy of humans for a while," the vet, Makoto, replied patiently. I watched as she applied gauzes and bandages. After a while, she tied the last knot and said, "All done. Make sure you watch him carefully though, in case his wounds open again. Don't be too rough with him." I picked up the dog as gently as I could and hugged him.

Since I wasn't allowed to keep pets in my hospital room, Yukimura brought him home. As I turned to walk back to the hospital, Yukimura called my name. "Promise you'll come tomorrow too?" he asked.

" I promise," I grinned.


	5. Day 4

**Day 4**

"Woof! Woof!" I could hear the dog barking ferociously as I knocked at the door. The barking stopped as Yukimura opened the door. As soon as I stepped through, though, the barking resumed and the dog glared at me with a ferocious look. Despite the unwelcoming attitude, I smiled. If the dog was barking at me it must mean that it was feeling better.

"Where are we going today?" I asked Yukimura as he scooped the dog in his arms, saying, "It's okay, Akamaru," and letting me through the door.

"I don't know yet, actually. Anyplace you want to go?" he answered after putting Akamaru down. I started to think. There was no place I had in mind, actually. "Dog… park?" I said finally, staring at Akamaru.

"Maybe another day. I'm not sure if Akamaru's okay yet. What if… we went to a temple?" Yukimura suggested.

"Sure," I shrugged, glad that he had an idea.

"Let me get something first. You can go sit on the couch if you want. You don't have to stand by the door all day," Yukimura told me, heading upstairs.

"Uh… hey, Akamaru. What's… up?" I asked the dog while I waited. I held out my hand for Akamaru to sniff but he hung back, probably not sure if I could be trusted.

"Oh c'mon. You forgot me already? I'm the one who carried you to the vet yesterday. You know? The person that asked the vet every few minutes if you'd be okay? Ring a bell?" I asked again, treating Akamaru like he was a person.

"Never mind then… Let's start again. Hi, my name's Akane. Nice to meet you," I said as I held out my hand again. This time he sniffed it and then rolled onto his back for a belly rub.

"Ready?" Yukimura asked me as I stood up slowly to avoid having the dark swirls overcome me. "Yup," I replied, giving a last wave to Akamaru.

Holy! The temple was huge! I just stood there, staring at the temple as dozens of other people filed past me, each wrapped up in their own thoughts.

"Never been here before?" Yukimura asked, laughing as he took in my surprised expression. "Never," I breathed, still staring at the beautiful carvings and sculpture of the temple. Yukimura took my hand and I let him lead me into the huge building.

"Um…" I mumbled as I stared at the people around me, bowing and muttering their prayers. Yukimura noticed and he showed me how to pray and bow like the others. I let out a sigh of relief. My parents had never bothered teaching me this kind of stuff.

At another part of the temple, he handed me a slip of paper and a pencil. "Write down a wish," he instructed me. "After that we tie it on this tree and when it falls off, your wish comes true." He took another slip for himself and then started writing. I looked at my own blank strip. "I wish for happiness in the world- Akane," I scribbled down finally, my script messy and not elegant compared to Yukimura's. I waited for him to tie his wish on a knot and then handed my piece of paper for him to tie on for me. He took it without reading it and attached it next to his. "Let's go," he said in his quiet voice. I turned and followed him out onto the busy sidewalk.

"That was fun!" I exclaimed as we exited.

"Your mom never took you to any temple?" he asked, frowning. I shook my head. "I have no time to take you to places, Akane," I quoted her. "Why?" I asked, after a while. Yukimura shook his head and muttered something. I couldn't hear him clearly.

He then took me into the city. "Have ever had bubble tea before?" he asked, eyes widening in surprise as I shook my head. He led me into a store full of people. When we neared the front of the line, he asked me. "Which flavor do you want?"

I looked up at the whiteboard. "Um… lychee?" I answered, choosing it because I had a lychee gummy once and it tasted really good. Yukimura nodded and scanned the board himself to pick the flavor he wanted. I dug into my pocket and pulled out the 1000 yen the nurse had given me when I helped her clean the toy room. I handed it to Yukimura, saying, "That's all I have… sorry," apologetically. He started protesting but stopped when I said I wanted to try paying for something before I died. Hey, maybe this was a good way to win arguments.

"What'll you have?" the lady behind the counter asked in a bored way when it was our turn. "One lychee bubble tea and one milk tea bubble tea," Yukimura answered. The lady took the money and then motioned for us to move to the side to pick up our order, not even bothering to speak.

After a few minutes, a guy handed us our drinks and after thanking him, we went outside. I took a small sip of the bubble tea, not sure what I should expect. I looked at the round pearls at the bottom. I wondered if they were sweet. Or salty. I took a bigger sip and chewed one of the pearls. It wasn't salty for sure. It tasted lychee- y and sweet. In general, it tasted very good. When we were done with our drinks, we started walking home slowly, talking along the way.

"Thanks for today," I smiled as I watched Akamaru growl and sink his teeth into the hamburger chew toy Yukimura had gotten him today.

"You'll be okay walking by yourself back to the hospital, right?" Yukimura asked again. I nodded and replied, "No worries."

"I'm really sorry. I have to look after Akaya- kun today because apparently Niou's busy today," Yukimura apologized.

"It's okay," I said as I gave Akamaru one last pat on the head. When I turned to leave, a dark- haired boy came running, shouting "Yukimura- sempai! Yukimura- sempai! Look what I have!"

The boy stopped as he saw me. "Is this your girlfriend, sempai?" he asked, giggling.

"Did Niou give you candy again, Akaya?" Yukimura asked, fixing the bouncing boy with a stern look. "He only gave me two bags… and an ice cream cone… and a few packs of the sugar they give with coffee…" Akaya confessed, with such a sad look on his face I felt like hugging him.

Yukimura sighed and lectured, "Why did you listen to Niou? And don't you know candy is bad for you? Especially for _you_ since you get so hyper every time you eat it?"

"Yes, sempai," Akaya's shoulders sagged.

"It's okay this time. Go on in then," Yukimura patted the boy on his head and let him in. Akaya's sad face instantly disappeared, charging inside while saying, "Thanks, sempai!"

"Have fun looking after Akaya!" I laughed as I made my way down the pavement.

"You'll be back tomorrow, right?" Yukimura called after me. I stopped and turned around. "Yup, if you want me to."

"Of course I do. Don't forget!" he said.

"I won't. I promise," I answered.


	6. Day 5

**Day 5**

I yawned and stretched. I glanced at the clock. 7: 45. Why do I always wake up at the weirdest times? Turning to face the other side, I fell asleep again.

When I woke up again it was 8: 15. I glanced out the window, frowning when I saw the dark rainclouds. As I got dressed and ready, it started to rain. At first it was soft drizzle but it then morphed into angry, pounding rain. Going to the dog park or anything outside was definitely out of the list now.

As I passed the front desk, the nurse told me to be careful as she handed me a raincoat.

"Don't worry, I'll be okay," I reassured her. I slipped on the coat and headed outside. While on the way to Yukimura's house, I looked around at the rainy landscape. People were ducking or hiding under trees, trying to escape from the sudden rainstorm. Cars whizzed by and I heard lots of honking near the busy traffic lights.

Finally, I reached Yukimura's house. Before I even rang the doorbell, I could hear Akamaru barking. I was just starting to debate whether I should or shouldn't ring the doorbell when the door swung open and I was greeted by Akaya.

"Um… hi," I said, surprised.

"Yukimura sempai! It's your girlfriend!" Akaya yelled loudly as he let me step inside.

"I'm _not_ his girlfriend! He probably already has one anyways," I hissed as Akaya led the way into the living room. He instantly started shouting, "Denial! Denial! First step towards love!" as he danced around in the open space. Akamaru joined in, howling at the top of his lungs and I wondered how Yukimura could stand having Akaya and Akamaru together in the same house for even a minute.

When Akaya and Akamaru finished their loud duet, I asked Akaya, "Where's Yukimura?" Akaya turned to face me and Akamaru scampered onto my lap.

"Your _boyfriend_ is upstairs, I think," Akaya grinned. I sighed. It was probably no use protesting. Akaya took my silence as agreement. He then danced around chanting, "Akane and Yukimura, sitting in a tree, K- I- S- S- I- N- G!" Then he'd collapse onto the floor laughing hysterically and Akamaru would join him, barking his head off.

I sighed and tried to tune them out unsuccessfully. Finally, Yukimura came down. He laughed when he saw my expression.

"How did you survive the whole day with those two?" I asked him desperately. Yukimura picked up Akamaru and told Akaya to get up. When Akaya carried on lying on the floor, Yukimura said firmly, "Akaya. Get up."

"I'm dead, sempai…" Akaya groaned.

"If you're dead, why are you speaking? C'mon. Get up," Yukimura repeated.

"If I get up will you give me candy?" Akaya asked finally.

"No. But if you don't get up I'll get Sanada to give you lots and lots of laps at the next practice," Yukimura threatened, his voice suddenly sounding very very... sadistic- sounding. I shuddered. Akaya immediately sat up and stared straight into Yukimura's eyes.

"You wouldn't do that to me, would you, sempai?" he pleaded with his puppy dog eyes.

"Now I won't, since you got up. Did you finish your cereal?" Yukimura asked. Akaya shook his head, stood up and headed into the kitchen to eat.

"How do you do that? That's magical!" I exclaimed after Akaya had disappeared and left us with some blessed silence, shocked by the sudden change in the boy who was just teasing me. Yukimura smiled and said, "I have my ways."

"I'm finished my cereal!" Akaya proclaimed as he raced back into the living room. He took in the sight of me sitting next to Yukimura and he ran away, giggling. He came back with a camera and exclaimed, "It's a Yukimura plus Akane moment!"

"Put that away, Akaya," Yukimura sighed as I rolled my eyes.

"I'll play board games with you if you put that away," Yukimura promised when Akaya started debating whether he should or shouldn't obey Yukimura. Akaya copied Yukimura's sigh as he stowed his black camera.

"That could've been the perfect picture!" he complained as he came back in with Monopoly. Nobody answered to that and we started to play the board game.

"I lost again!" Akaya wailed as the second game ended.

"That's your fault for spending all your money on the bad houses," I told him, laughing.

"Again, again!" he commanded, setting the board up for a third game. When everything was put in place, Akamaru decided to join in and he raced towards us, crashing into the board and knocking everything out of place with his skidding paws.

"No!" Akaya cried, trying to catch all the fluttering money. Akamaru just sat in the middle of the board, looking confused.

"That's okay, Akaya. Let's do something else. Want to bake a cake?" Yukimura tried to direct the boy's attention to something else. It worked. Brightening up instantly, Akaya shouted "Okay!" and instantly started bouncing around, yelling, "I'm going to bake a cake!"

After all the game pieces were put back into the box neatly, we all headed for the kitchen. Yukimura helped Akaya put on an apron and he started taking out most of the ingredients from the fridge. He sent Akaya to get the sugar and flour from the cupboard and I followed Akaya in case he needed help. We managed to gather all the ingredients without spilling anything and after we had washed our hands, we started baking.

At first, everything went well. No eggs were smashed on the ground and no flour or sugar was spilled either. Then, when Yukimura hooked up the electric beater and handed it to Akaya, everything changed. Akaya forgot to hold the bowl still as he whirled the machine around and the metal bowl fell onto the floor, spilling its contents. I rushed to clean it all up but I was a bit slow. Akamaru instantly swooped in and began to lick the batter. Akaya, seeing all our hard work spilled on the ground, looked like he was about to cry and Akamaru was covered in the cake batter now, his white fur now all dark from the chocolate cake mix.

Finally, I managed to keep Akamaru still as I mopped the floor clean. Yukimura tended to Akaya. He reassured the boy and promised that we would bake another one and that this time; Yukimura would hold the bowl for Akaya. However, we had to give Akamaru a bath first. Akaya scooped up the dirty puppy and plopped him into the bath tub, with Yukimura and I following.

Yukimura watched carefully as Akaya turned on the water and directed the spray onto the puppy. The dark cake mix instantly disappeared, revealing a snow white Akamaru. We helped put shampoo onto Akamaru and Akaya washed it away. As we were towel- drying Akamaru, he let out a mighty shake and water splashed over us.

"Akamaru!" Akaya complained, as he was the one closest to the puppy. Akamaru responded with a doggy grin and we all couldn't help but laugh at the aloof expression.

A day had already passed by. Akaya had baked his cake successfully this time, with help from Yukimura and was now asleep on the couch with Akamaru curled up next to him. I took my raincoat and slipped it on.

"Thanks for today," I told Yukimura. "Tell Akaya that I say bye, ok?" I gave Yukimura a hug as I left, still thinking about all that had happened today. Now I was starting to regret not having treatment for leukemia. And just when I had found new friends, too.


	7. Day 6

**Day 6**

Ugh… I felt so weird today. "Time for my medicine," I told myself. As I got up, black dots appeared and my head spun. Groaning, I sunk to the floor, clutching my head, and a passing nurse who heard me came into my room.

"Are you okay?" she asked. Too weak to give a stinging reply, I just moaned and collapsed onto the floor. My head was killing me.

A few minutes later, I was lying on my bed once again, eyes closed. I felt like I wanted to die _now_, the pain was so bad. A doctor came in and checked my pulse and everything.

"How are you feeling?" he asked. _Why was everybody asking this? I'm obviously feeling bad, aren't I? Do I look like I'm all good and happy?_ I thought, annoyed.

"How are you feeling?" he asked again.

"Bad!" I managed to exclaim.

"I see… I'm going to have to give you some medication," the doctor informed me. He then started to list them out and tell me their uses.

"Just give me the stupid medication," I muttered, but not loud enough for the doctor to hear. He then proceeded to pull out needles and bottles of medicine.

"Will she be okay, sempai?" My eyes flew open when I heard that voice. It could only be Akaya. I sat up slowly, shuddering when I saw the IV needles embedded in my arm.

"She's alive!' Akaya exclaimed, making me laugh. Yukimura shushed him.

"Of course I'm alive!" I told him, amused.

"Do the needles hurt?" he asked, eyes wide as he saw them stuck in my arm.

"Yeah, but I'm used to it," I shrugged.

"Sorry for not going over…" I apologized to Yukimura. He looked surprised.

"Why are you sorry for that? You can't control if you feel good or not," he protested. I breathed a sigh of relief.

"Thanks for visiting," I told him after a while.

"I even brought Akamaru!" Akaya said proudly, taking his backpack off and placing it on the ground. He opened the bag and whispered, "You can come out now." Akamaru's furry white head appeared and he had his doggy grin on.

"Akaya! You're not supposed to bring animals in!" Yukimura exclaimed. "How did you manage to bring him without me knowing?"

"It was easy!" Akaya beamed. "I told him to be quiet and not move… With the help of a few boxes of doggy treats! Good doggy!" Akaya hugged the white puppy happily. I reached out to pet the furry, wiggling body. Akamaru covered my hands in licks as Akaya took out the empty boxes of dog treats. Yukimura's eyes widened as he saw the three empty cardboard boxes.

"Akaya… what happens when you eat too much candy?" Yukimura asked him, his voice suddenly soft.

"I… I get hyper…?" Akaya answered, his voice trembling.

"So it's not good for you, right?" Yukimura pressed. Akaya fiddled with the zipper.

"No… I'm sorry, sempai!" he cried, flinging his arms around Yukimura's slim figure.

"Promise me you'll never feed Akamaru three whole boxes of dog treats in one day ever again," Yukimura said sternly.

"I promise…" Akaya looked up at Yukimura with puppy dog eyes. Yukimura wrapped his arms around Akaya and the two hugged.

"Uh… Akaya, why don't you go buy a sandwich from the cafeteria? I need to talk to Akane," Yukimura handed Akaya some money.

"You mean love talk?" Akaya asked, eyes wide. Without waiting for an answer, he ran out the door, laughing. He seemed to have recovered from the scolding he had gotten earlier.

"Akane, I have to ask you something…" Yukimura began.

"Sure," I agreed, stroking Akamaru, who was fast asleep on the bed.

"Isn't there treatment for leukemia?" Yukimura looked away.

"Yeah, of course there is. There's a treatment for almost anything nowadays," I answered, curious as to why Yukimura had asked this.

"Then why… why didn't you chose to get treatment?" he asked softly.

"I have… had nothing to live for," I stammered, knowing kind of where this was headed.

"So you're just waiting to die? Akane! You have a future ahead of you! You can't just give up because you have some kind of illness!" Yukimura's voice rose.

"I _know_ that! That's what I was thinking about all night! But I'd be days behind if I started now!" I snapped back, frustrated because I knew he was right.

"Don't you have _any_ options?" Yukimura pressed.

"I don't know. I'll ask the doctor someday," I replied, thinking. The nurse would be overjoyed.

"I'll go ask with you now," Yukimura promised, picking Akamaru up and gently placed him back in Akaya's bag, making sure to leave a hole for air.

He then took out a small cell phone and dialed a number in quickly.

"Niou," I heard him say, "I need you to take care of Akaya for today… I'm sorry, it's something important… No, I won't give you any money to buy your gags… Fine, I'll give you some free laps so you don't have to run when Sanada tells you to… Okay, thanks." He snapped the cell phone shut and after telling me to wait for a few minutes, he went to look for Akaya.

"Yukimura?" I heard a voice call. Without waiting for an answer, a blue- haired boy stepped in the room.

"Uh… are you Akane?" he asked me, looking a bit unsure.

"Um… yeah…" I confirmed, trying to hide Akamaru.

"I'm Niou," the boy introduced himself, crossing the room in a few easy strides. I shook his hand and hissed, "No, Akamaru!" as I saw the bag start squirming and wiggling.

Niou took one look at the bag and burst out laughing.

"Akaya?" he guessed. I nodded, feeling a bit more relaxed.

"Hey… Akane," Niou began. "Guess what I have for Akaya!" He showed me a few bags of milk candy, some sour keys and many other types of candy.

"Yukimura's gonna kill you when he finds out what you're going to do!" I warned him, laughing as I remembered the first time I had seen Akaya- hyper, bouncing, screaming, wailing…

"Oh I know… but he won't find out," Niou promised, a mysterious smile on his face.

"… So those are her only options?"

I tried to tune out the doctor's answer to Yukimura's question. I had been told that even if I did try to cure it, I would be taking medicines for the rest of my life and that I would have to visit the hospital often to get regular check- ups. I didn't want to be stuck in the hospital for the rest of my life! I wanted to be free and Yukimura also understood that.

"I see… thank… thank you." Taking my hand, Yukimura thanked the doctor and led me out of the room, back into my own place. I tried hard to not show my emotions, because what I really wanted the doctor to say was that I _did_ have options, that I could still live beyond the twenty- one days that I had been given. Yukimura must've heard my downcast sigh, or felt my disappointment, because he gave my hand a gentle squeeze and murmured, "I'm sorry."

When I was back in my room, I thanked Yukimura. I shrugged off my hoodie and just threw it into the closet, too depressed to care. I turned to say goodbye to Yukimura and he suddenly pulled me into a bear hug. I hugged him back, feeling like I was going to cry. Of course, I knew that I was going to die when I chose the option of not taking medicine but now that I had some people who were willing to be my friends, I didn't want to leave just yet. It had never struck me this hard before, knowing just how many days I had left with these people who had become so close to me…

The tears I had been holding back spilled out as Yukimura walked out the door. They streamed down my cheeks and dropped onto my lap, staining my jeans. I had never felt worse.


	8. Day 7

**Day 7**

"Promise me that you'll come back if you don't feel well you'll come back right away!" the doctor checking on me pleaded. I nodded and took the bottle of pills from her, thanking her.

Yukimura was waiting outside the room, flipping through a guide book, trying to decide where to take me next. Akaya had wanted to come along as well and he was standing beside Yukimura, holding Akamaru tightly in his arms. As I walked out the room, Akaya unleashed Akamaru and the puppy raced towards me, excited. His clumsy paws skidded on the slippery surface as he tried to stop and he crashed into me as he slid. I laughed and picked up the wiggling body, handing Akamaru back to Akaya. Yukimura reached for my hand and Akaya followed us as we headed outside, giggling the whole time.

Yukimura had decided to take us to a very famous castle in Japan- the "White Heron Castle" in Himeji. Akaya chattered happily the whole way while Akamaru begged for dog treats. When we arrived, Akaya dashed forward with Akamaru at his heels.

"Look! Look at the lock on the door! Look! It's a bush shaped like a bear!" he exclaimed, seeming to be amazed with everything he saw.

"Akaya. You have to stay close to either me or Akane, alright?" Yukimura made Akaya promise solemnly. I didn't know if Akaya really understood because he was busy marveling at a doorknob. For most of the time, we just walked through the huge hallways adorned with many beautiful items.

Finally, near the end of the day, Akaya started complaining about how he was dying of thirst and starvation. I laughed and promised to take him to the gift shop to buy some snacks. Yukimura wanted to watch a play put on by the staff at the castle so he didn't come along.

Akaya raced ahead of me with Akamaru, obviously excited. He wasn't looking at where he was going and he crashed into a foreigner who was guzzling down some beer. The drink splashed all over the man's white shirt, staining it.

"Whoopsies…" Akaya mumbled. He looked up at the man and apologized. However, the man just glared at the curly- haired boy. I rushed towards the two.

"Gomenasai!" I said, bowing low. I was quite surprised when the man replied in Japanese.

"Are all kids this stupid? Now look what you did to my brand new shirt!"

"Hmph… it sure doesn't look new. There's more stains in it than the number of laps Sanada- sempai makes us run," Akaya muttered. Without any warning, the man took a step forward and grabbed Akaya by his shirt collar, lifting him up without any effort. Akaya gasped in surprise and tried to free himself. He kicked out and when it failed, he grabbed the man's wrists in his smaller hands. Laughing cruelly, the man pushed Akaya onto the wall, still grasping his collar. By now, Akaya had stopped struggling, his shoulders heaving as he gasped for breath.

"Let go!" I exclaimed. When the man didn't react, I grabbed at his arms and tried to pull it away. Akaya's eyes closed and sweat beads started forming on his forehead. In desperation, I kicked the man as hard as I could and kept trying to loosen his grip on my friend.

I succeeded and the man dropped Akaya onto the floor roughly. He gasped but didn't open his eyes. The man turned to me, irritated and hit me hard before I could react. As I shook off the black dots that threatened to overwhelm me, I saw Akamaru growl and rush towards the stranger. He sunk his teeth into the man's leg, snarling the whole time.

"No! Akamaru!" Even though I really loved Akamaru's bravery, I knew that he wouldn't be able to win against the strong man. I scooped the puppy away just in time but the crazy man's blow hit me instead. I gritted my teeth and yelled, "Why are you attacking us? He apologized already, okay? Let us go… let us… go…"

My last few words turned into a whisper as the man clobbered me in the head, knocking me unconscious easily.

When I woke up a few minutes later, I saw Akaya standing over me with Akamaru growling by his side.

"Don't touch her!" Akaya told the man angrily as he advanced. I stood up shakily and thanked Akaya, still feeling a bit dizzy.

We wouldn't have been able to win anyways. Even though the three of us all tried to stop the angry man, we were still no match for him. Pretty soon, I was sprawled out on the dusty ground, helpless, watching as the man walked towards Akaya, who was trying to get Akamaru to get up and run away.

The man grabbed Akaya's arm and twisted it back. Akaya surprised me by screaming out a stream of words that he should not have known.

"What the hell do you want anyways?" I called as loudly as I could so that the man would turn his attention towards me. He smirked and stalked towards me, dragging Akaya along and leaving a yelping Akamaru.

"Girl, do you want to die early?" he asked me, a hint of a snarl in his voice.

"I don't care if I die early or not. I only have a few weeks left in this stupid world anyways," I replied, anger pulsing through me.

"Well, allow me to end your days here, now, today," the man told me, smiling. He walked towards me, pulling a knife out.

I closed my eyes, knowing that even if he didn't stab my vital points, I would still die of severe bleeding or infection. Memories flashed through my mind. My childhood, lonely school days, the new friends that I now had and all the great times I had. "This is what it feels like to die…" I thought, my head throbbing.

I risked a glance upwards. The knife flashed as the man pulled it back. However, it never hit me. One minute there were memories flashing through me and the next, when I looked up again, a blue haired boy was standing in front of me, blocking the knife with a branch.

"… N… Niou?" I asked, my voice trembling and thin. He looked down at me and said, "You just rest, Akane. I don't know you well but I know that you are very special to Yukimura- buchou and that Akaya really looks up to you. I know that you only have a few days left but I'll still defend those days with my life. He never should have messed with my friends!"


	9. Day 7 Night

**Day 7- Night**

I watched as the two fought. I wanted to get up and help, but my eyes closed without me wanting them too. I had never felt weaker. I forced myself to get up and make sure AKaya was okay. He was in a much worse shape than I was.

With the black spots still threatening to overwhelm me, I finally reached an unconscious Akaya. I pulled him up to a sitting position and propped him up against the back wall. I took off my jacket and draped the hoodie over Akaya's slumped shoulders. Akamaru was on the side, whimpering.

"Go find Yukimura, Akamaru," I whispered to the dog, hoping that he would understand. Maybe it only happened in movies. Finally, with some more encouragement, the puppy let out one last whimper, turned tail and disappeared. Niou had managed to keep the man away from us but since no one near, there was nobody that could call the police and I didn't have a cell phone either.

Finally, after what seemed like hours, I heard Akamaru's bark and Yukimura ask, "What's wrong, Akamaru?"

I sighed in relief, my arm still around Akaya. I watched as Yukimura's eyes widened. He quickly pulled out a silver cell phone and dialed some numbers. Then, he rushed towards us with Akamaru following.

"I'm sorry… You shouldn't have trusted me with Akaya," I apologized, my heart breaking as I watched Yukimura stare at the unconscious boy.

"No… I'm sorry I didn't check to make sure you guys would be safe. Just rest, I'm sure the ambulance and police will be here soon," Yukimura replied, settling in on the other side of Akaya, performing first aid and checking his pulse and breathing periodically.

After a few minutes, I heard the sound of sirens. The man must've heard it too, because he tried to turn and run. However, the amount of beers he had caught up with him. He stumbled over an empty bottle and tripped, mumbling some nonsense while he fell. The police made quick work of him and pretty soon he was asleep in the police car, with drool streaming out a corner of his mouth.

Niou was treated at the scene, suffering only from a few cuts and bruises. Niou helped the paramedics wheel Akaya onto the ambulance while Yukimura supported me.

Pretty soon, I had been given some medicine and the worst of my cuts bandaged. After the doctors were sure that I was good and healthy, they let me check on how Akaya was managing.

He was conscious when I entered his room.

"Hey, Akane. How ya doin'?" he asked when he spotted me. I sat down on the chair near his hospital bed and we talked until the nurse came in to lead me back into my room. Akaya was also starting to look a bit drowsy so I left him, promising to visit him again tomorrow.

After both Yukimura, Akamaru and Niou had left; I fell asleep in my own room, exhausted. Tomorrow we would have to report to the police station for some interviews and I wasn't exactly looking forward to meeting the man that had attacked us yesterday.

I sighed and turned to the other side. After a few minutes, I turned onto my back again. Within a few minutes, I was asleep.


	10. Day 8

**Day 8**

"Are you sure he was drunk?" I sighed again as the police officer asked us the question once again.

"Yes. I am _sure_." I sighed, my hands bunching up in fists with irritation. It seemed like the officer wanted to prove us wrong, to make it seem like we're the ones that had made the man drunk and attack us. As if we were stupid enough to ever do that. Yukimura seemed to sense my growing agitation.

"Sir, they were clearly attacked by that foreigner. Akaya accidentally bumped into the man and spilled his drink. That was what started the fight. Even though I know that we were the one that made the first mistake, I am sure that they did not have to pay with so many injuries," he stated. The officer nodded slowly, recording all that down. Finally, he nodded and ushered us out the door, promising to contact us soon.

We walked out of the police station silently. Our footsteps echoed in the hallways and nobody even looked up as we exited. Some kind of security.

"Let's go buy something for Akaya. I hope he's getting better," I suggested to Yukimura. He nodded and we walked side by side into, yes, a candy store. We came out a few minutes later, with a bag full of fuzzy peaches. I wondered what would happen when Akaya finished all that.

When we neared the desk, the nurse looked up at me and smiled, as if she had some sort of secret that was so awesome that she just had to tell me. She directed us to Akaya's room, but not without telling me that one of the doctors had to speak with me. We handed the candies over to Akaya, with Yukimura giving him stern instructions to eat two at the most in one day. I knew that Akaya would never follow that order, though. Especially not if Niou was around.

"Come in, come in!" the doctor called as we knocked on the door. I entered hesitantly, with Yukimura close behind me.

"Akane, I have wonderful news for you! Oh, yes, please do sit down. Would you like some cookies? Or perhaps you would prefer to drink some tea?" he motioned happily. I wondered what had gotten to him.

After politely declining the treats, we sat down and directed our attention to the over- excited man, curious about what he had to say.

"You see, Akane, one of my fellow colleagues has just discovered a new treatment for leukemia. It is way more advanced than the ones now. If his method works, then it could possible treat your leukemia and you would only need to come back for yearly checks and only if you feel discomfort. His team has researched it vigorously and now he would like a few test patients. He emailed me this morning, asking if I knew anyone who would be interested. When he mentioned leukemia, I immediately thought about you. Now, my question is, would you like to try this medicine?" the doctor asked, his dark eyes drilling into me.

I was too shocked to speak for a few moments. Yukimura seemed to be deep in thought beside me. Then, unexpectedly, he grabbed my arm and said, "Akane, you _must_ try it. You have no other good options besides that. I'm sure it will work. You can't just throw away your life!"

However, I wasn't really sure. What if it didn't work? Would I die sooner than the twenty one days that had been given to me? The yearly treatments did sound way better than the weekly ones, though.

"Yes. Tell him that I will be his first test patient," I said slowly as I turned to the doctor, hoping that I wouldn't regret this decision later.


	11. Day 9

**Day 9**

"I'll explain the idea and process of my new treatment to you first, in case you want to back out," the doctor explained. "Oh yeah, my name's David."

David. Didn't sound like a Japanese name. Whatever. I listened closely as he explained.

"You will be given an injection from time to time. I have realized that tiny crystals can hold the exact amount of medication needed. They will go into your bloodstream, seek out the affected cells and release the medicine. It is very precise and hopefully very useful. During that time, I encourage you to exercise more, so that your body will be fit enough to fight the leukemia as well. Give the medication some help, you know?"

"Yes, I understand. When will this start?" I asked, liking how the medicine worked. It sounded almost painless. Except for the shots, of course.

"Today, if it is alright with you."

I agreed and the doctor walked into another room, returning with a needle and a bottle of what I assumed was the injection. I rolled up my sleeve and squeezed my eyes shut, hoping that it would help me ignore the fact that something sharp was going into my flesh.

"That's all! Please come back tomorrow, so we can check up on you. Also, if you don't feel well anytime, come here straightaway! Sleep early!" the doctor called after me as I opened the door and left.

"How was it?" Yukimura, who had been standing outside waiting for me asked. I shrugged to show that nothing had really happened. He took my hand and we walked down the blank white hallways to visit Akaya.

Akaya would be returning home today. When we entered the room, we saw him, busy packing up his toys, manga and the big bag of Fuzzy Peaches that we had bought him the day before. After a few minutes, we exited the hospital, Akaya with his little backpack full of stuff.

We decided to go back to Yukimura's and then make plans from there.

"I'm going to teach you tennis!" Yukimura announced after everything was settled. Akaya kept on insisting that he had to go, that he would never survive being left alone, so we bundled him up in a jacket and headed out again.

It was not easy at first. However, Yukimura was patient and pretty soon; I was able to return his hits, provided that they weren't too far away or too fast. After playing for around an hour, I sat down to rest and watched Yukimura practice with Akaya. It was amazing how well they played; a frail- looking teenager and a usually bouncy, carefree and hyper kid.

For a moment, I wondered if the new treatment would work. What would happen if it didn't?


	12. Day 10 Morning

**Day 10 (Morning)**

Today was the second day of my treatment. The injection that the doctor had given me yesterday hadn't made me feel any different… yet. I changed into jeans and a t- shirt and walked out of my room. I stopped to feed the fish and watched as they gobbled up the food greedily, pushing each other out of the way to get to the tiny morsels first. I brushed off my jeans and walked away from the fish tanks, towards the doctor's office.

"Ah! Akane! Here for your treatment?" Doctor David gestured for me to sit down.

"Are you sure it's a shot every day? Won't it be too strong?" I asked, sighing. Believe it or not, I was still deathly afraid of shots after all the tests that I have undergone.

"You wish," the doctor laughed as he prepared the shot. Taking out some isopropyl rubbing alcohol, he disinfected the injection site and took out the needle. I immediately closed my eyes and looked away, holding my breath and tensing up slightly. I bit my lip as I felt the needle slide into my arm and the medicine get injected. Shots suck.

Finally, it was over and I was free to go. The doctor handed me a pill just in case I suddenly felt faint and warned me to be careful. I walked out of the door, thinking of what I was going to do now.

"AKANE!" I jumped, startled, as I heard my name from way down the hall. I looked around. All I saw was a mess of curly hair as something- somebody rammed into me.

"Akaya! This is a hospital! You have to be quiet!" I scolded him, laughing as I apologized to nurses glaring out of other rooms.

"I'm all better! Are you, Akane? Can we go visit Yukimura- sempai? Will you buy me candy?" Akaya asked, jumping around and grabbing my arm excitedly. What happened to his injuries? It was like he had never been hurt the day before. Why was he here so early in the morning anyways? I stared at him, mystified.

Finally, I broke out of the trance. I pulled him along and we walked together to Yukimura's house.


	13. Day 10 Afternoon

**Day 10 Afternoon**

It was a beautiful day outside. The skies were clear and fluffy white clouds floated above us. Akaya and I walked in companionable silence until he asked, "Do you live at the hospital, Akane? Why are you always there?"

"I have leukemia," I replied simply. No use hiding the truth from him.

"But you're going to get better, right? Then you can move out from the hospital and then we can be friends forever," Akaya smiled up at me innocently.

"Sure, Akaya. Yeah, that would be nice," I looked away, a lump forming in my throat.

We talked until we reached Yukimura's house. Akamaru started barking even before we rang the doorbell. Yukimura opened the door and we stepped inside the cozy space.

"I was thinking about going to out with the team, Akaya. You can come too, Akane. We'll introduce you to them," he said as soon as we had taken off our coats. I accepted his invitation.

We spent the next few hours just talking or playing games. At around four thirty, we headed out.

"Yukimura- buchou! Over here!" I heard someone shout as we arrived. We followed Yukimura as he led us around the huge crowd of people. I looked up to see a group of guys standing together, looking very different from each other. Akaya took it upon himself to introduce me to everyone.

"That's Sanada. He slaps people and he practices kendo," he muttered, pointing at the stern- looking person.

"That's Yanagi, he's super smart; Yagyu, he used to play golf; Jackal, the sempais make him take care of me sometimes, and then Marui. He has lots of candy but he won't share. You know Niou already," he stated as he finished pointing them out. We finished introducing ourselves and then started walking.

"So. Akaya tells me you're Yukimura's girlfriend," Niou smirked, walking beside me.

"You trust him with information?" I snorted.

"Well it would be nice to have something to blackmail Yukimura with," he remarked.

I turned towards him, surprised. He hadn't come across as such a devious person when I had first met him.

"He's like that," a voice behind me said. I turned around to see a pink- red- haired boy chewing bubble gum.

"Marui. He'll be the first one to get diabetes," Niou stated, grabbing a bag full of candy from the shorter boy. They proceeded to get into an argument which ended with Niou handing back the satchel of sweets and Marui popping another stick of bubblegum in his mouth.

By the time they finally decided on a suitable restaurant, I had come to the conclusion that Rikkaidai's tennis team was indeed an odd group. Dinner went well; the food was great and everyone talked and laughed. I felt included for once and it was a wonderful feeling. Once we were finished, everyone went their own ways, including Akaya, which then left me alone with Yukimura.

"I was wondering if you wanted to go see the Tokyo Tower with me? They have really beautiful lights at night," he asked, taking my hand as we strolled around in the crisp winter air. When had we started holding hands anyways?

"Sure, if it's not too far away. The nurses might get worried if I disappear for too long," I said. Yukimura assured me that it wouldn't take too long and we started towards the tower. We got there faster than I expected, talking along the way. I loved the way that he always listened so intently when I told him about myself. His reassuring smile was an added bonus.

We saw the tower before we even got close to it. It was beautiful. The tower stood straight and tall, shining brilliantly in the night sky.

"Do you want to actually go to the tower or is it okay if I take you to another place to see it?" Yukimura inquired, turning towards me.

"Doesn't matter," I breathed, still staring at the majestic sight. I followed him as he turned and started walking down another path. We walked for some more, until we reached a sign post. He turned and started climbing up a flight of stairs. When we had gotten to the top, he told me to turn around.

The view was even better from higher up. The tower, glowing a faint gold, seemed to reach beyond the skies and stand above the other skyscrapers around it. With the sun setting and the lights just starting to flicker on, it was truly a sight to behold.

"Look up," he grinned, pointing towards the night sky. I glanced upwards and saw stars winking back down at me. They were a rare sight in the city due to pollution and to see them shining so brightly took my breath away yet again. When I had finally gotten past my amazement, I turned towards Yukimura.

"Thank you," I said. Those two words didn't seem enough to express all the gratitude and happiness that I was feeling. I was about to launch into a long- winded explanation when he pulled me towards him and hugged me tightly.

Out here, in his arms, I felt like a little child again. It felt like nothing could hurt me now.

**A/N: Yay! I'm done a full chapter! I've also finished editing the earlier chapters, so please check that out too if you have the time. I'm working hard to get this out by New Year's but writing each chapter actually takes way longer than I thought it would :P**

**Thank you to all my faithful readers! I was so surprised and pleased when I got reviews after I posted my last chapter~ **

**So thank you everyone! I'll work hard to update more often :D**

**Cheers!**

**~Dunkaroos23**


	14. Day 11

**Day 11**

"Ready to go?" Yukimura asked when I stepped out of the doctor's office. I nodded, still holding onto my arm that had just received another shot.

"Where are we going today?" I finally asked as we exited the hospital and into the busy street.

"A very beautiful place… Quiet and peaceful," he replied, smiling. We walked in companionable silence as we traveled to the subway station. There weren't many other passengers on board as we entered the sleek train. Finally, we reached out destination and I followed him as we left the station. Yukimura paused to check his map and I peeked over his shoulder, trying to find out where we were headed for today. We walked for a few minutes more, then stopped at a large clearing.

"Tori Path," Yukimura announced, turning to me. "It starts over there and leads to the entrance of the Fushimi Inari Temple." I looked over to see a trail of Shinto Tori gates, lined up back to back. We walked towards it and entered the first main gate.

The tori were so closely spaced that almost no sunlight filtered through. There were carving in each gate and I listened in awe as Yukimura described the place to me. Apparently, this whole path was four kilometers long, full of over five thousand tori gates that were all perfectly aligned. The shadow cast by the gates produced a quiet, peaceful and awestruck feeling. The whole path felt sacred.

We walked at a moderate pace, talking occasionally and simply enjoying the silence at other times. I learned that the shrine was dedicated to the god Inari (obviously) and that he is the Shinto god of rice. As we walked, all I saw beyond us were even more bright orange tori gates. There were also different tunnels branching out at times, which reminded me of a maze. I wondered how long it would take us to complete the whole trail.

It took us two hours to finish the trek, but it was well worth it. Beautiful trees towered above us and wild monkeys and birds glanced at us curiously as we passed by them. The air was crisp and fresh and the sound of wind swishing through the bamboo stems and leaves were very soothing, in my opinion.

We spent a few minutes just looking from the mountain view and enjoying the sights and sounds of the wilderness surrounding us. When we were ready to move on, we walked for a few minutes and approached a huge temple.

My first impression of the building was that it was… red. Red lanterns strung on strings tied to red poles adorned the side of the red and white coloured temple. There were a few splashes of green and gold as well and the roof was a green- greyish colour. Huge granite fox statues glared down at us, red bibs around their slender necks. I remembered that the guidebook had stated that the Fushimi Inari Shrine displays more lanterns than any Japanese temples or shrines. From the looks of it, it was probably true.

Yukimura taught me how to cleanse myself using the traditional purification fountain and ladles found in basically every temple. I admired the shrine, my amazement rekindled. He led me to one side of the huge complex, where wooden fox head- shaped plaques hung on one wall and miniature tori gates were laid down on a small staircase, overlooked by a life- sized tori gate.

"Write a wish on the plaque. You can draw your own fox, too. It's to symbolize Inari's messenger, the fox," he instructed.

I took the small wooden plate and the black marker, dropping two 100- yen coins into the collection box. For a moment, I was tempted to ask for a full recovery from my sickness, but instead I scrawled down something else. I turned the plate over and drew a cheerful grin for my fox. I placed the black marker back on the table and hung my creation on the nails, among the other sly- looking white foxes drawn by others.

"I heard that this place is famous for its Inari sushi. I'll take you to a restaurant that sells some," Yukimura told me as we exited the temple and walked further down the path.

I was very hungry by the time we reached the restaurant and the sushi was delicious. It was slightly sweet and just a bit sour from the sushi vinegar. It balanced out very nicely and before I knew it, I had finished my whole plate. Energy replenished, we started our long journey back down the whole mountain.

It took another two hours, but it was an enjoyable walk. Even though the tori gates blocked us from the wildlife outside, the occasional chirping of a bird could still be heard and the cool breeze through the gates were very comforting.

The day had been full of walking and I was exhausted by the time I got back to my room. I smiled happily, then collapsed onto the bed and fell asleep.

**A/N: Another chapter! I'm sorry if it seems sort of boring… something exciting is going to come up soon! Be prepared! :D**

**I have some bad news… I might not be able to get all the chapters out as soon as I had hoped because I'm afraid I won't have internet for a while during Christmas Break... I can still write, but I won't be able to upload it all in time. I'm really, really sorry, everyone! I promise that I will type and upload as soon as I can once I have internet again. No more two year gap, I swear! **

**On another note, thanks to all my subscribers, favourite- ers and reviewers. I really appreciate all your support!**

**Cheers!**

**~Dunkaroos23**


	15. Day 12

**Day 12**

We arrived at the Meiji- Mura Museum in the morning. I didn't really know what to expect. All I knew about the place was that it has lots of old houses preserved from, well, the Meiji period, when Japan went from an isolated feudalism to its modern form.

"Akane! Let's start by going this way," Yukimura suggested as he took my hand. I followed as he led me towards a large, white Western- style building. It had iron posts that covered the window but somehow, it didn't look like a prison or anything.

"Ohi Butcher Shop," Yukimura read out of the guidebook that had been given to us at the entrance. "Traditional Japanese techniques were used in its construction as well as Western ones… Let's move on."

We passed by many other Western- style buildings and the majority of them were all white- coloured as well. There was also a Principal's Residence and it looked like it was the perfect setting for a Wild West shootout but it also looked like the most wonderful place for sipping tea and relaxing.

It would take me the whole day to describe all that I saw. I couldn't believe so many different- styled but also similar- in- a- way buildings could be gathered in one place. Apparently many of them had been destroyed in earthquakes or wars and had to be restored.

There was one particular building that quite impressed me. It was called the "St. Francis Xavier's Cathedral." It was almost pure white, like the other Western- style buildings, except for the roofs, which were a light shade of gray. What awed me most was the massive rose window above the entrance archway. Sunlight filtered through the colourful stained glass, which must've created quite a beautiful scene inside.

We finally came across a different building. Small groups of tourists gathered in front of it excitedly and pointed at it, speaking in hushed tones. I couldn't decide if it was ugly or not. The Imperial Hotel's main entrance and lobby was painted a sickly yellow (in my opinion,) with tall, dark windows. Large white stone plates stood in front of the entrance, looking somewhat like tombstones from the distance. A large muddy pond covered the area in front of the expanse, looking kind of… green and mossy. Disused.

Next came a building that looked quite interesting. "Japanese Evangelical Church," Yukimura stated, then went on to explain that it had been constructed with mass- produced standardized lumber and that it is a pioneering example of the two- by- four construction method. The building was the colour of fresh wood and each individual plank was visible, which was quite a sight to see.

Our final stop was the Kureha- za Theater, which is a wooden two- story building. Apparently it is an important cultural property as well. It was short but wide; reminding me of an elf's house; cheerful and full of life. There was a platform for a drum built into the house, as it was a theater, or at least it used to be one.

There wasn't much to see after our slow walk around the museum, so we headed outside. I checked my watch. It was three o'clock already. Unbelievably, six hours had passed by without me knowing.

"Let's take a picture at the main gate," Yukimura said, directing me towards a simple- looking structure. Two large Japanese flags stood on the two posts and a large steel gate closed the gap between the two stone figures. We asked one of the museum staff to help us take the picture and we stood side by side. Yukimura put his arm over my shoulder after a moment's hesitation and we smiled for the camera.

"You two look nice together," the girl commented as she handed back the camera. I smiled awkwardly as Yukimura accepted the camera and stowed it away in his backpack. The girl grinned and waved good- bye to us as we left.

"Are you tired? I was thinking we could go on the Tempozan Ferris Wheel and then over to Ginza to watch the night scenery and shop around," Yukimura asked while we were walking. I shook my head and replied, "I feel fine. Let's go!"

Thankfully, there wasn't too much of a lineup for the popular attraction. Within a few minutes of waiting, we had already reached the front of the queue. Yukimura climbed into the carriage first, then turned back to help me up. The bored- looking worker slammed the door shut and snapped the lock closed. A few moments passed before we moved, rising slowly up into the air.

"The whole ride takes fifteen minutes," Yukimura informed me.

"There's lots of time to enjoy the scenery. You can see most of Osaka on this Ferris Wheel, or so I've heard. This is my first time riding this too," he settled back into the seat and leaned his head against the back wall, closing his eyes.

I turned to look out the window. The view was very beautiful indeed. I sighed and leaned against the side, my eyes still focused on the sight outside.

"It's wonderful, isn't it? Makes you wonder what else you haven't seen yet in this world." I turned around quickly, startled to hear his voice so close to me. Yukimura's face was less than five inches away.

"Um…" I replied, pulling back, my hands flying up to cover my mouth so I could hide my reddening cheeks. "Yeah. Yes. It's very nice," I amended after the moment passed.

It was silent for the next few minutes, until he cleared his throat and said, "You know… Akane… Don't give up on the fight against cancer, okay? I know you've accepted it already but you can still win."

I turned to face him and nodded my head slowly.

"I'm serious. Lots of people would miss you… _I _would miss you," he insisted. How long was this ride again? Fifteen minutes? It felt way longer than that right now. I had no idea why I was feeling this way. A jumble of unexplainable emotions rushed through me. I peered out the window once again to avoid eye contact.

We came to a jerking halt a while after. Yukimura climbed out first, graceful as a cat, then turned to help me off. I took his hand and followed as he led me to the train station.

Ginza was beautiful at night. Bright lights flashed everywhere and young people crowded the streets. Yukimura and I browsed through the shops quickly, not paying much attention to the items on display.

We stopped at a café and he ordered some tea for the both of us. I wrapped my hands around the steaming mug, grateful for its warmth. Yukimura finished his quickly as I took small sips of the hot beverage.

"I'll be right back," Yukimura told me as he stood up and dashed out the door. He was back within ten minutes and by then I had finished my tea already. Leaving our mugs on the table, I followed him outside once again.

We walked for a bit more but I had already started to feel unwell. Black spots appeared at the edges of my vision and I shivered, wishing I had donned an extra layer before heading out. Yukimura saw what was happening right away.

"Let's head back. It's getting late, anyways," he reached for my hands and led me through the streets and back onto the train home.


	16. Day 13

**Day 13**

"Akane! You have a checkup in twenty minutes!" the nurse sang as she waltzed into my room. Maybe we were getting a bit too friendly/ I pushed away that thought and sat up, laughing. Dragging myself off of the bed, I stumbled into the washroom to get ready.

"How are you feeling?" Doctor David asked, frowning as he performed a checkup on me. I told him that I felt the same. This seemed to make him worry further. I watched silently as he listened to my heartbeat and breathing with his black stethoscope. He was silent throughout the whole check- up procedure and he seemed to be thinking deeply. I reached for a cookie from his food jar and quietly munched on it, waiting for him to give me the results.

"So how is she doing?" Yukimura asked the doctor after we had stepped outside. I was no on my second cookie.

"Good! Not much in terms of recovery, but she's not getting worse so that's definitely one step forward," the doctor reported cheerfully. I needed to get my stuff, so I left the two to talk since it didn't seem like they'd be stopping anytime soon. I quietly informed Yukimura of where I'd be going and he nodded, giving me a small wave as he intently listened to the doctor's words.

**Yukimura's POV**

"Okay, so what did you want to tell me?" I asked the doctor when Akane turned the corner. He had stepped out of his office for a minute during Akane's checkup to request that I stay behind for a bit after she left.

"Are you free tomorrow morning? I need to talk to you about Akane's progress," he finally replied. "I could tell you now but I just want to review my findings from today first, so I can give you a more detailed report tomorrow."

**Back to Normal**

"So where are we going today?" I asked Yukimura conversationally as we walked towards the train station.

"It's a surprise," he grinned, ruffling my hair. I laughed and pushed his hand away. I slept for most of the train ride, resting my head on his slim shoulders as he read.

"Akane... Akane, we're almost there," I slowly opened my eyes to his gentle tapping on my shoulder. Rubbing the sleep out of my eyes, I followed his lead and stepped off the train. Afterwards, we boarded a bus and arrived at our destination within fifteen minutes. I finally realized where Yukimura was taking me. The hot springs. I sat in the lobby and almost nodded off again as he went to go check us in.

Yukimura handed me a plastic key card as we headed to our room. "Atami Resort," I read out loud. "Room twenty three."

Since I was afraid that I would faint in the humid hot spring, we opted for Doctor Fish therapy instead. Little fish swam around in a pool of water and they nibbled at my toes when I gingerly dipped my feet in. It sounds gross, but it was actually quite soothing. We said nothing as the fish swam around us, but it was an enjoyable silence, not at all awkward.

Yukimura then took me to a traditional paper making place after everything was settled. Stepping into the little store, we were greeted by a normal storefront, with paper art displayed simply on wooden shelves. As we walked further in, though, a different scene unfolded before me. Workers rolling up large sheets of paper and other carefully drying out the mush that was to become paper stood before me, each engrossed in their jobs. After observing for a few more seconds, a store attendant approached us, smiling.

"Are you here to try your hand at making your own piece of art?" he asked, shaking each of our hands as we introduced ourselves. Pretty soon, we were both handed red aprons to wear over our clothes so that they wouldn't get too dirty.

We mixed our own pulp under the careful eye of an experienced paper maker. Then, we handed it over to another tradesperson, who literally fried it for us on a large iron. He handed back our pieces of paper, mine a bright orangey- red hue and a soft lavender one for Yukimura. I tried to decide what to do with my piece of paper as we walked towards the craft table. Finally, I decided to just make it into a paper crane. I glanced over at Yukimura, to see what he was doing, but I really couldn't tell. I resumed my folding.

Our visit to the factory ended with us taking a walk through their mini museum, where ancient paper making devices and methods were displayed and explained. We thanked the guy that had helped us and then left, headed back to our resort.

It was already seven o'clock when we got back. We had dinner in the hotel, watching the waves outside crash against the shore. Eventually, we gravitated back to our room and got ready to sleep. I lay on my mat, breathing deeply as I listened to the sound of the ocean waves. Despite being tired all day, I couldn't seem to sleep now. I tossed and turned (quietly, so as not to disturb Yukimura) for a few more minutes, then gave up on trying to sleep.

I put on my jacket, then silently opened the sliding door to the balcony outside. Since the floor was reasonably clean and dry, I decided to just sit down on. The waves battled each other fiercely down below me, crashing into the rocks in their desire to win. I glanced up towards the sky, reveling in the pollution- free night sky. Eventually, my thoughts turned to my family. My mom hadn't contacted me since I had been diagnosed and hospitalized. I wondered where she was and if she was happy now that she was rid of me. What about my dad? Shouldn't he at least care a little bit? I laughed a bit when I thought of what I surprise I would give them once my hospital bill arrived in their mailboxes. They would probably have another fight, this time over who would pay for it. I found that I really didn't care too much about my parents anymore. Probably because I was used to it all now. I breathed a deep sigh and turned my attention back to the waves.

"Are you okay?" Yukimura's soft voice sounded behind me. He quietly closed the glass door and then turned to drape a large blanket over me. "May I join you?"

"Mmhmm," I murmured, scooting a bit to the left. He sat down beside me, hugging his knees. We sat there for a few minutes, each absorbed in our own thoughts. After a while, I let out a sad sigh and leaned over to rest my head on his shoulder.

"Need to talk?" he asked, after another moment of silence.

"No... yeah. No! Fine, yes," I finished lamely. He laughed, his body shaking gently.

"So what's up?"

"I don't know. I'm still wondering why someone like you would want to spend time with me."

"What's wrong with spending time with you?"

"I mean, I'm so... I'm just me but you have a whole bunch of friends who are probably much more interesting than me. Plus the fact that no one's ever been this nice to me before and I'm just so afraid of what will happen after because I don't want to have no one anymore but I don't want you to feel like you have to spend time with me and of course that's only if the treatment works and I live but I'm still afraid and wow, I sound like such a desperate girl right now but I guess it doesn't matter and I should just say what I've got to say because I might die anyways... Ha, I could tell everyone that I died of embarassmen-"

"Akane."

I laughed a short, sad laugh and buried my head between my hands. What was I saying? Why did I even decide to say all that? Then, I felt a light tap on my shoulder. I looked up and turned just as he leaned in and kissed me.

It was a short kiss, not at all like those long, drawn- out movie kisses, but it definitely had an effect on me. I had not expected that. Never in a thousand years had I thought that I'd be kissed. I covered my warming cheeks with my hands as he pulled back. I was glad that it was dark so that he couldn't see me.

"I won't leave you," he promised, looking me straight in the eye. "Believe me now?"

I could only nod. He reached for my hands and held them between his, warming them up.

"Let's go get some sleep now. We have to catch an early train tomorrow," he decided, pulling me up. I followed him inside, still speechless, my brain racing furiously as it tried to take in what had just happened.

**A/N: Hello everyone! It's great to be back on Fanfiction, after another one year vacation from it, hehe. Thanks for keeping up with my story and welcome to any new readers! I don't want to make any promises that I can't keep so I'll just end my note here. I love you all! :D**

** ~ Dunkaroos23**


	17. Day 14

**Day 14**

We arrived back at Yukimura's at around ten- thirty in the morning. He slowly unlocked the door and pushed it open, only to be bowled backwards as someone ran into him, hugging him tightly. It could only be Akaya.

"How was your trip with your girlfriend?" he asked cheekily, grinning widely. "She's blushing!"

"I'm not!" I protested, covering my face with my hands (it seemed to be one of my trademark moves these days) and trying not to laugh at the same time.

"You are!" Akaya insisted. "Isn't she?" he called out to no one in particular. I rolled my eyes, smiling, and stepped into the cozy house, only to stop abruptly as I registered two other people sitting on the couch, staring back at me.

"Hmm... Yeah, she's blushing," Marui called to Akaya after a brief moment.

"Yeah, she is," Niou agreed, smirking.

I stepped back, not expecting or knowing that they were there. Yukimura just laughed and guided me inside, telling the three to stop teasing me. He set his bag down, then turned to us.

"I have an errand to run, so I'll leave you guys here for the afternoon," he announced. I watched Niou elbow Marui and grin wickedly. "But before you get too wild, I should tell you that I've also invited the rest of the team over. Sanada will be here to keep you two in check," Yukimura finished, fixing Niou and Marui each with a hard stare. Then he chuckled, waved us goodbye and slipped out of the door.

**~ Yukimura's POV ~**

"Hello! Sit down, sit down! Can I get you anything to drink or eat?" Doctor David smiled as I stepped into his room. I politely declined and sat down on one of the wooden chairs.

"I hope you're doing well," the doctor said slowly, pausing for a moment.

"Because... Akane's not doing that great?" I asked, watching his reaction. The doctor sighed and nodded, frowning as he slid Akane's file out from underneath his pile of paperwork.

"She doesn't seem to be responding well to the crystal therapy and at this point, it might be too late and too painful for her to try the other types of therapy," he informed me gravely. I blinked, the news still processing in my brain.

"So you're saying that there's no hope left for her? That she's going to... die?" I choked out the last word. Pain rippled through my chest suddenly and furiously. I had held onto that last strand of hope, fervently wishing that Akane would somehow defeat the cancer and live on. No, this couldn't be it. It was too soon.

The doctor watched as I took in the news. Finally, he uttered two very over- used words that no longer held much meaning behind them. "I'm sorry," he said.

"Sorry? Yeah, I'm sorry too," I said quietly. What else could I have said? I stood up reluctantly, heaving a deep sigh. "Thanks for telling me, I guess."

The doctor said nothing as I walked towards the door. Just as I was about to close the door behind me, though, he called my name. I stopped.

"Yes?" I asked. It was silent.

"Sit down. There's still one very last option that I would like to talk to you about."

**~ Akane's POV ~**

"Yukimura!" I cried happily as I opened the door. He smiled and leaned in to give me a... hug.

"Nice try, guys," he called out as he straightened up. Instantly, I heard a few groans and laughed as Niou and Akaya popped up from behind the couch, each holding a camera pointed towards us.

"Just kiss her, buchou," Akaya complained with an angry pout. Yukimura laughed again and pulled me towards the kitchen, leaving the two to plot.

"Is it alright if we have instant noodles for dinner?" Yukimura asked me as we entered the warm and brightly lit cooking area. I agreed and offered to help him with the preparation. We stood side by side, ripping apart the plastic packages and removing the dried noodles and flavour packets, separating them into different piles.

"So how was your day?" he questioned me conversationally.

"It was pretty good! Your teammates sure are something," I answered, laughing. "I missed you, though."

"I missed you too... I promise that I won't have any more errands to run during the day from now on. Do you have any idea where you would like to go tomorrow?"

"Hmm... No, as usual. You can pick!"

"I'll try to give you a pleasant surprise," he said softly, leaning down to give me a soft kiss on my lips. "That was for the one I couldn't give you earlier," he commented. Instantly, I felt myself blush again, still not used to being kissed.

"You're cute when you blush," he grinned, making me turn a deeper shade of pink. I put down the pack of instant noodles in my hands and turned to twine my hands behind his neck, looking him straight in the eyes. "I love you," I stated.

He placed his arms around my back and placed a gentle kiss on my forehead, murmuring, "I love you too, Akane."

I let out a contented sigh and rested my forehead against his shoulder. We stayed like that for a few seconds, then we both broke away from the embrace at the same time.

"Let's go cook that ramen," he smiled.

**A/N: I wasn't planning to end this chapter there, but it works, too! Hope you guys enjoy this chapter and thanks so much for the reviews/ favourites/ subscribes! It really motivates me to keep writing! :D**

**Sorry if the chapter seemed kind of dull. Don't worry; there will be something interesting happening soon! Stay tuned!**

**~Dunkaroos23**


	18. Day 15- Part 1

**Day 15- Part 1**

I woke up early the next morning, just as the sun started to rise. I took my time while getting ready, knowing that I had plenty of it. As I was brushing my teeth, though, the door behind me flew open, startling me and making me nearly swallow my toothbrush.

"Akane! Are you there?" the friendly nurse exclaimed as I took a moment to calm down and rinse out my mouth.

"Yeah," I replied weakly. "What is it?"

"Are you... okay? You seem kind of out of breath," she asked me. Without waiting for my response, she continued with,

"You're scheduled to go pick up your stuff at your house, since you're here for an extended stay. I've also invited that Yukimura boy to go over with you! He's just outside waiting for you so as soon as you're ready, some staff will drive you to your house."

After the nurse left, I changed out of my pajamas and tied my thin hair into a loose ponytail. Closing the door to my room, I quietly stepped out into the hallway and walked towards the main lobby. As I neared the collection of sofas, I spotted Yukimura's slim figure standing by the sliding doors. He turned as I stepped closer to him, greeting me with a gentle smile and a wave. He then proceeded to lead me outside, where the car was waiting.

I was silent for the first few minutes of the trip. Yukimura reached for my hand, warming it up between his.

"How are you feeling today?" he asked me after a while, pulling me a bit closer to him.

"Good, though I am kind of worried about how my mom will react when she sees me... And you?" I replied. I wasn't sure if the hospital had contacted her yet, seeing as she was never at home. My sudden appearance certainly would not count as a pleasant surprise for her, either. I shook my head to clear the thoughts.

"I'm good, now that you're here beside me," Yukimura smiled. Then, as if he had read my mind, he said, "You know... I'm sure your family won't be unhappy seeing you. You are part of them, after all."

Before I could respond to him, though, the car stopped in front of a small light- green coloured house. A small and worn out wooden sign hung on the front gate. "Home, sweet home," I read bitterly.

I stood on the front porch with Yukimura, waiting impatiently for someone to open the front door. "C'mon, c'mon," I muttered through gritted teeth, ringing the doorbell once every few seconds. We had already been waiting for around five minutes.

Finally, the door swung open, revealing a tall woman in a bathrobe, with makeup partially applied on her face... My dear mother. "What?! Oh, it's you, Akane," she snapped, glaring down at me.

"Hey, mom, it's nice to see you, after two whole months in the hospital," I shot back, pushing past her and walking into the house, pulling Yukimura in along with me. With surprising speed, my mom, who I didn't really want to call my mom, grabbed me by my shoulder and yanked me backwards.

"First off, I told you already. I don't have time to deal with you, so you better drop that attitude, Akane. Secondly, why didn't you call me first, to tell me that you were coming?" she demanded.

"I have never, ever, heard of a parent who doesn't have time for their children. What are you too busy doing, stealing husbands from other women?" I called as I stomped up the stairs.

"Akane! Don't you ever talk to me like that! Get back down here! I'm not done speaking to you!" she screamed back, her face turning an ugly shade of red.

"I'm sorry. I thought you said that you don't have enough time for me. But I guess you do now, since you have the chance to scream at me!" Without waiting for her reply, I ran up the last few steps, leaving her downstairs. Yukimura followed behind me silently, holding my hand firmly to give me support.

Still heated from the earlier argument, I marched silently to my bedroom and flung the door open... Only to find that my room was bare and that there was nothing there except for my desk, bed and bookshelves, which were also empty. I paced around the room, bewildered, looking for any indication that I had once inhabited this room. Yukimura just stood by the door, watching silently, his eyebrows furrowed in concern.

"I... Where's all my stuff?" I blurted out, panic creeping into my voice. "I can't believe it. I leave for two months and... Mom! Where is all my stuff?!" I yelled as I saw her pass by the doorway. She stopped, then turned to face me with a smirk. "Why don't you check the basement?"

I trudged down the stairs to the basement, cursing under my breath. I flipped open the light switch to the dark room and cast my eyes around, searching for any boxes. There was nothing in sight. I raced back to my room, prepared to have another yelling match with my mother. The sight of a teenaged boy sleeping in my bed greeted me instead.

"Who the hell are you?" I demanded, marching into the room. The boy turned and regarded me with a nasty sneer. "I would ask you the same," he countered.

"I live here," I responded slowly, putting emphasis on the "live."

"Not anymore," a voice behind me sounded. I turned around. It was my mom. She was holding hands with a man who seemed vaguely familiar to me... I blinked, my mind working furiously, trying to connect the face to a name. I hesitated.

"Dad?" I asked in disbelief.

* * *

**A/N: Cliffhanger! It felt like the perfect place to put it :D**

**I actually do have Part 2 written, but I'll upload that tomorrow, since I still have to read it over, heh heh...**

**Thanks for reading! I really hope that you have enjoyed this story so far! **

**Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!**

**~Dunkaroo23**


	19. Day 15- Part 2

**Day 15- Part 2**

"What are you doing here?" I directed the question to the man standing next to my mother. I wasn't really sure if he was my father, due to the fact that I hadn't seen my dad since he had gone away on a "vacation." My mother was cuddling up to him in the most disgusting manner and I had a sudden urge to tell the two to get a room.

"Akane, I realized that I love your mother, and now we've gotten back together!" my father informed me gleefully.

"You couldn't have realized that, oh, I don't know, a year or two earlier, when I needed you?" I snorted. It was kind of obvious that they had only gotten together because of my absence. My presence was what had driven them apart in the first place.

"Love works in mysterious ways, Akane... Not that you would ever be able to experience it," my mother cut in, stepping in front of my dad. I decided not to pursue the topic any further. I turned to point at the boy sleeping in my bed. "So who's he?" I asked, glaring at my dear mother.

"Your half- brother," she replied offhandedly. "He's living with us now, so I'm afraid that you won't have your room anymore. Your stuff's in the packing box sitting outside on the front porch. I figured that you could take them with you to the hospital, since we don't have room for it inside the house."

"What if I get better? Where will I live then?"

"We'll be sending you to a boarding school! Why are you looking so dismayed? It's a very good school and I'm sure that they'll take good care of-"

I walked out of the room before my mom could finish the sentence. I didn't care to hear what she had to say. Either way, they wanted me to be as far away from them as possible. Which was totally fine with me.

I made my way to the kitchen, determined to make their lives just a bit harder. Yukimura stood by my side as I grabbed numerous bottles of pop. I twisted open the cap of each bottle and then proceeded to empty them over the chairs in the dining area and the sofas in the living room. The clear soda would soak into the fabrics, making them sticky but not visible.

When I was done, I led Yukimura out onto the porch, letting out a sigh of relief. I bent down to retrieve my single box of belongings and we let ourselves out of the rusty old gates, headed back to the hospital.

We walked in silence for a few minutes. I trudged slowly, holding my possessions, thinking of everything that my parents had just said to me. The more I walked, the more the words sunk in. I could feel my control slipping and a heaviness settled over me as the adrenaline and anger in my mind faded away.

"You're crying," Yukimura murmured, pulling me aside and taking the box from my hands. I reached up to feel the silent tears running down my face, and looked back up just as Yukimura pulled me into a warm hug.

"I'll always be here for you," he promised, speaking softly into my ear. "You don't need those people as your parents; you're too good for them."

I sighed and pulled back, wiping my tears away. "I don't even know why I'm crying. I didn't think that I loved them anymore. I guess... it's just the thought of not having a family anymore... I can't... I'm sorry you had to see all that. Thanks, Yuki-"

"Seiichi," he interjected. I glanced up at him questioningly. He leaned down and kissed me gently, smiling. "You can call me Seiichi from now on."

**A/N: Hello to all my wonderful readers! Sorry if all the dialogue in the past two chapters have been kind of… boring. I am sad to say that I have run out of ideas for the next four or five days, so if you guys have any ideas, please feel free to tell me! **

**Oh yeah, thanks to Ogure Michiyo for your ideas! :D**

**Thanks for reading and have an awesome New Year! **

**Talk to you guys soon,**

**~Dunkaroos23**


	20. Day 16

**Day 16**

I woke up with a slight headache and a very dry throat. Groaning, I rolled over and searched for the cup of water on my bedside table. I sat up slowly, holding the side of my head with one head, and took small sips of the slightly cold liquid.

I could hear voices outside my door and I closed my eyes, straining to hear what was being discussed outside.

**~Yukimura's POV~**

"Yukimura! Can I talk to you for a minute or two?" I stopped and turned around to face Doctor David. He walked briskly up to me and shook my hand, asking the usual conversational questions. After some small talk, I inquired as to what he wanted.

"I heard that Akane's visit to her home yesterday didn't go so well… Could you tell me what happened? I'm worried that she might become stressed or even depressed and I want to know how to help her," he said to me, forehead creased in concern. I immediately told him what had happened.

"Poor girl," he sighed when I finished. "I better go check on her now."

"I'll come with you," I answered.

**~Akane's POV~**

I put the cup back down on the table, cursing half- heartedly in my head at the soundproof door of the hospital room. I could not hear anything clearly enough to know what was happening. I sat back down on my bed as the door swung open, startling me. The doctor asked me the usual questions; how I was feeling, if I hurt anywhere, if anything was bothering, and so on. He seemed satisfied with my answers and ushered me out of my room after, telling me that Yukimura was outside waiting.

I was greeted by Yukimura's smile as I left the room. He reached for my hand and pulled me in to give me a short kiss. We walked together but didn't talk until we exited the hospital.

"You know what I'm going to ask… Where are we going?" I grinned, alarmed that my voice was very quiet and slightly hoarse.

"I have to take care of Akaya, so I thought that we'd just stay home today, since the doctor has advised that you rest a bit as well," he smiled. We rounded the corner and climbed up the steps to his house.

I spent the morning just playing board and card games with Akaya and Yukimura. Akamaru slept next to me, his black- tipped tail covering his nose. We were currently playing cheat and Akaya seemed to be having a hard time, calling out cheat at the wrong time and burdening him with almost the full deck of cards. Yukimura set down his last card and stood up, saying, "Ace of Hearts. I'm done! I'll go make us some lunch."

Akaya was busy shufvling the cards, grumling unhappily about his loss. I rested my head on the sofa, coughing slightly and letting out a cry of surprise as black spots swarmed over my vision.

**~Yukimura's POV~**

"Yukimura- buchou! Akane went to sleep and now she won't wake up!" I heard Akaya's panicked wail from where I was in the kitchen. I dashed towards the living room, only to stop, turn back and shut off the stove. Akane was lying half- on and half- off of the couch, her head starting to slip off of the seat. I rushed forwards to catch her as she fell and I laid her down on the carpet gingerly, pushing away the small coffee table. I reached for the phone and tossed it to Akaya.

"Go call for an ambulance!" I commanded as I leaned down to tap the carpet beside Akane.

"Akane! Can you hear me? Wake up, Akane!"

**~Akane's POV~**

"… Akane!" Yukimura's last word cut through me and my eyes flew open. I sat up and rubbed my eyes, only to realize that I wasn't really awake and that I wasn't in my body anymore. My immobile body lay on the floor and I couldn't get it to move no matter how hard I tried. This was probably one of those famous out- of- body experiences. I must say, it was pretty cool.

I watched helplessly as Yukimura checked my ABC's and then put me in the Recovery Position. I sat beside him and pleaded to myself to get up as he looked down at my unconscious body with the most distressed expression that I had ever seen.


End file.
